This week's column is short but sweet. We have reviews of two
new boxed sets the stylish and action filled Noir, and the mysterious and
intense RahXephon, as well as the first volume of Tactics. If you
have any money left over after Deep Discount DVD's 20% off sale last week,
Holly has some bargains that'll tempt those last dollars out of your pocket.
We wrap up this week's installment with reviewer Todd Douglass' look at
Girls Bravo, the manga that the anime series was based on and our table
of upcoming releases.

The Latest
Anime Reviews:(Click on the links to read the full review.)

If
you're looking for an offbeat and unique show then you'll definitely want
to check out Manga’s new release Tactics.
This interesting series follows the life of a young boy who is an exorcist
and novelist extraordinaire. Ever since he was child Kantaro has dreamed
about finding a demon-eating goblin and naming him into his servitude.
In the first episode of the series he does just that and what follows is
a monster of the week style of storytelling. The adventures here are great
with involved plots and characters that develop through the course of this
first volume. There’s almost a fairytale or poetic atmosphere to the series
and we'll see if future volumes can carry that same magic.

If
you look at the cover of RahXephon
don’t simply write it off as another Neon Genesis Evangelion rip
off. This show is its own monster and worthy of its own audience. The series
takes place in the future where an alien race known as the Mu has overthrown
Tokyo and created a bubble of sorts around it. Time moves slower here and
strange forces are gathering that threaten to destroy the outside world.
A young boy named Ayato is lead to a large Dolem creature known as RahXephon
and set out upon the world to do the will of a strange entity. When he
makes contact with humans from the outside everything is turned upside
down the things really kick off. The action is intense, the tale is mysterious,
and the show is a blast from start to finish.

FUNimation continues with its release of Case Closed (or Detective
Conan as it's known in most of the world) with volume 1.2, the second
disc from the first season. Having previously release seasons four
and five, the company is now going back and putting out the earlier stories.
This time around Conan has his work cut out for him as he faces a cursed
piano, has to save a friend who's been kidnaped by a serial killer, and
encounters someone who claims to be Kudo's girlfriend. The pint-sized
detective also gets some new gadgets including a solar power skate board.
With an ample six episodes included on the disc, this is a fun release.

There’s
nothing quite like a good assassin story whether it’s live action or anime.
With several implied nods to Leon the Professional, Noir
is a series that will grab a hold of you and drag you along for the ride.
The series follows the lives of two female assassins who get caught up
in mysterious events surrounding their past and a group known as the Soldats.
Each episode features a new mark and a little bit of development for the
main girls Mireille and Kirika. The stories are fantastic but what really
makes an impression with this series is the way its tales are told. The
action sequences feel like a stylistic dance and each episode is so well
written and each character so well crafted that it’s simply impossible
to deny the quality of work. If you’re looking for a thinpak collection
that is worth every penny definitely pick this one up.

Before the Girls Bravo anime was garnered and released by Geneon
here in America the manga was a hit in Japan. In case you are unfamiliar
with the title the best way to describe it is a harem with magical elements
and tons of fan service tossed in for good measure. Quite honestly, both
in the animated version and printed, there is so much cleavage and other
bits that it could be considered ecchi. To be fair though the anime version
seems to have more nudity than the publication does.

The series' main focus of attention is a wimpy guy who is inexplicably
the object of desire for several women. Yukinari Sasaki is your average
teenage boy for the most part and you’d think that this type of affliction
would be a welcome curse. Unfortunately due to his short stature he has
been picked on by girls his whole life. This incessant taunting has driven
him to the point that he has become allergic to females. Whenever he gets
too close to one or in some cases even thinks about one he breaks out in
hives.

One day he bumps into his friend and neighbor Kirie while she's at his
house using his bath. Well, one thing leads to another and he inadvertently
walks in on her while she's buck naked. Naturally Kirie's reaction is to
bust Yukinari's skull so she does just that. The poor kid gets knocked
head first into the bathtub.

Now, you’d think that would constitute a first class trip to the emergency
room, but for some inexplicable reason (ie: Magic) he was sent to an alien
world. Given Yukinari's fear and allergic condition to women it's ironic
that the planet he lands on is populated by ninety percent female. A crazed
and ridiculously busty woman named Maharu tackles him and begins calling
him husband and all that. Luckily her spunky younger sister
(Miharu) saves him and winds up going back to Earth with him through the
bathtub portal.

From there the manga starts rolling along with its insane content and
outlandish sense of humor. Yukinari hides Miharu in his bedroom and keeps
her a secret from his parents. Together they go through day to day life
as Miharu follows him to school, gets hit on by a world class shmuck, and
gets drunk off of pure alcohol in chemistry class. The antics are funny
but the gags essentially break down into two categories: Miharu being ignorant
about the ways of Earth and Kirie beating Yukinari within an inch of his
life. Rinse, wash, repeat.

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and let us know!